Chainstitching is an embroidery technique where one continuous length of thread is looped onto itself to make a line. Designs are filled in by drawing overlapping circles or laying the thread down side by side until you reach the desired thickness.  It was a popular way for embellishing clothing from the late 1800s until the 1980s when computerized embroidery machines became widespread. Think vintage workwear, western wear, or bowling team shirts.

Yes! Fill out our custom embroidery request form or send us a message if you’re not quite sure what you want yet.

How do custom projects work?

1. You put in a request via our form or shoot us an email - submit all the details you can. We will email you back with ideas, details, and a quote within 1-2 business days.

2. You pay a deposit (25% of the quoted cost). This is typically not refundable, of course there’s always exceptions for extreme circumstances.

3. Design and draw - We'll send you a mock up for revisions. Once the design is perfect, it is time to chainstitch.

4. We start stitching! Once your design is complete we’ll send you an image for review and any slight revisions.

5. You pay the final invoice and we mail you your new custom embroidered item!

It's best to embroider on woven (ie canvas or denim) or felted fabric...basically anything that isn't stretchy, is flat, and fits under the machine's foot. If you have a garment you love that isn’t suitable for stitching on directly you can always sew or glue a chainstitched patch onto it. We’re happy to brainstorm solutions with you!

We’re very lucky to have a handful of vintage/antique and rare chainstitch embroidery machines. 

• 1930's Singer 114w103 - the machine we’ve had the longest. She’s kind of a diva but we love her anyway. If you’ve seen us stitching at events it was almost certainly with this machine!

• 1900-1930's Cornely L - our very fancy machine with lots of moving parts. We’re still working on getting this one up and running. Send us all your good vibes, there’s a lot going on with this one.

• 1940-1960's Cornely A2 Long Arm -  so much room for stitching on jackets and large items! When we got this machine we truly got spoiled.

Dry cleaning is recommended for best results but machine washing on delicate or hand-washing with cold water should be fine. Do this at your own risk though. Lay flat to dry and don't use bleach. If you must iron do it on low and make sure to protect the patch with a scrap piece of cotton or a pressing cloth.

You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email (singingdogstitchworks@gmail.com). We aim to respond quickly—usually within one to two business days.

Since 2023, Singing Dog Stitchworks was founded in 2025.

In the Studio: Our studio is just outside of Asheville in Woodfin, North Carolina. There you can find us embroidering one of a kind and limited-run patches, clothing, home goods, and accessories or making custom commissions for individuals and local businesses.

On the Road:  Come check out our booth at an upcoming craft market or hire us for live chainstitch events, brand-activations, weddings, and pop-ups for a special touch of onsite personalization.